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Monday, January 02, 2012

Leaving for Germany

This past August my husband and I journeyed to Germany, a trip that was 32 years in the planning. We visited for a month, staying with relatives from my father's side of the family. For the first two weeks, we resided with my uncle and aunt in south central Germany, while the remainder of our visit was in northern Germany with my cousin and his wife. Please feel free to join us as I re-live our travels in this and continuing posts.

August 1, 2011

Des Moines, Iowa to Frankfurt am Main, Germany

5:30 p.m. CST

John’s friend, John C., picked us up at 1:00 today, taking
us to the airport in Des Moines. We took United Flight 6048, a United Express
Economy flight that involved sitting in an airplane too small to accommodate
carry-on luggage. Nervously, I watched my carry-on suitcase slide down the
conveyor rollers from the boarding ramp to the plane, hoping that the suitcase
containing my laptop would not crash to the ground. Later, though we were told
that you could take only a handbag or small backpack with you to put under your
seat, I noticed that other people who were nervous about their laptops pulled
them out of their carry-on luggage and put them on their laps. I don’t blame
them, and think I will do the same on the return journey.

We landed what felt like a half hour later in Chicago (but
was really longer), and proceeded to our gate, where we were told that we still
had about 20 minutes before our flight would begin boarding. We were invited to
take advantage of the Red Carpet hospitality room, which is available to
passengers like us who are flying Business Class. That is where I am writing
now. It is so much more quiet here than at the gate, where many people waiting
to board cannot even find a place to sit. Refreshments, other than alcohol, are
free of charge. John and I had a cup of cool, refreshing water, shared a cup of
dried fruits and nuts, and ate some fresh baby carrots. Nice! We took the time
to leave David a voice mail message saying good bye, and to call John’s mom to
let her know that we arrived okay in Chicago.

We just heard the loudspeaker announcement, letting us know
that our flight is getting ready to board, so I will resume this narrative
later.

10:00 p.m. CST

It is now 7:00 a.m. in Germany, but we are only about three
hours into Flight 940 aboard a Boeing 747-400. I am taking the time to jot down
a few impressions before I try to get some shuteye, since it will be about
another five hours before we land in Germany, where it will be 10:00 a.m.

This is the first time that John and I have ever flown
Business Class, and let me say that I would not hesitate to fly this way again
on a trans-Atlantic or any lengthy flight. The seats themselves are a
miracle—fully cushioned, wide, and adjustable. You can actually lay the seat
down flat for sleeping and are provided with a pillow, blanket, bed socks and
eye mask to keep out the light. Many of the passengers are already reclining
after a wonderful dinner consisting of a center cut of smoked salmon loin,
seasonal mixed baby greens, herbed Boursin® rotisserie chicken with a
pomegranate glaze, along with stir-fried sugar snap peas and carrots, and a
whole grain roll. Delicious! The steward welcomed us by name, and service is
really excellent.

There are three columns of seats in Business Class, which
occupies part of the upper tier of seating in the plane. You know those windows
that you see close to the top of a Boeing 747? Well, that’s where we are. The
Economy Class passengers are actually seated below us. When we boarded the
plane, we entered one door of the plane, and Economy Class passengers entered
another. From left to right, the first two passengers face the rear of the plane, the ones in the middle column (four seats
across) face the nose of the plane, and the two far right seats face
the tail.

Each passenger has a personal viewing screen where you can
watch a movie or select a television program, check out information about the
plane’s itinerary, or listen to music. When the pilot makes an announcement,
programming pauses, but beyond that you have uninterrupted time to spend with
your personal entertainment system. I browsed through the various categories,
but in the end decided that sleep would be more productive than seeking
audiovisual leisure, since we will be spending an entire day with my Uncle
Herbert and Aunt Doris before we can go to bed seven hours later than we would
normally dive beneath the covers.

2:30 a.m. CST

I woke up about a quarter of an hour ago, feeling a bit
gritty-eyed but otherwise okay. I guess I’m excited about getting our first day
in Germany started. I can hear the stewards and stewardesses clinking
silverware, plates and drinking glasses in preparation for breakfast; in fact,
some people have already been served while I take a few minutes to freshen up
in the bathroom, washing my face, brushing my teeth and reapplying makeup. One of the items we were provided, when we boarded the plane, was a
zipper pouch filled with personal care items, including a toothbrush and
toothpaste. Breakfast, like dinner just a few hours ago, is excellent, consisting of a
plate filled with fresh fruits, orange juice and a tasty croissant.

The plane will land in about 90 minutes, so we’re getting
excited. John is more tired than I am, since he slept for only an hour and 15
minutes.